Ceramics Vocabulary

adding water to dried out clay to soften it for reclaiming; also applies to adding water to a dry glaze mixture.

5.

a Native American word for a broken section of a fired vessel used to support a new vessel during forming

6.

having minute spaces or holes through which liquid or air may pass, such as a sponge or bisque ware

8.

a small coil added over a seam to strengthen that seam; the coil is blended in (2 Words)

9.

the narrower part of a pottery vessel that leads from the body to the lip

10.

the first firing for the clay, which removes all of the chemically-combined water and carbon (2 Words)

14.

the fattest part of the body of a vase

16.

a creamy mixture of clay and water used for joining clay parts together

17.

a form used to support and shape clay, usually made of paper, clay, or plaster (2 Words)

19.

Clay that has been allowed to dry slightly, making it stiffer and able to support its own weight. (2 Words)

20.

a decorative technique in which an incised design is filled with engobe (or colored slip), allowed to dry, then sanded to reveal the original design

21.

the base of a pottery form; the part that meets the table; gives lift to the form

23.

to fire clay until the particles fuse together due to the melting of the silica in the clay

25.

a furnace of refractory materials used to fire clay

26.

ceramic color that has no glass former. Available commercially.

28.

the top edge of a pottery vessel or bowl

29.

a colored slip, applied to wet clay for decoration. Can be cut into for sgraffito work.

31.

Made of clay and permanently hardened by fire

32.

the kneading of soft clay to remove air bubbles, create a uniform consistency, and prepare the clay for use

35.

a material with a low melting point, used to lower the melting point of other mixtures, such as glazes

36.

a space formed by the removal of material from the lower part of something, such as a cliff or relief carving

37.

a desirable characteristic of a clay body made by adding any of a variety of materials, such as ground shell, wheat chaff, or grog, to the clay

38.

a piece of broken pottery, especially a piece found during an archeological dig

39.

the technique of pressing forms or objects into the clay for decorative effect

41.

how a surface feels. Examples: rough, bumpy, smooth, embossed

43.

a ceramic vase with two handles and a long narrow neck, used by the Ancient Greek for transporting liquide and dry products

45.

a flat piece of clay, either rolled by hand or using a slab roller

46.

a part added to a vessel so that it can be carried, held, or lifted

Down

1.

to scratch the surface of the clay prior to joining two pieces together

2.

the technique of adding an appendage or decorative element to the surface of the ware using coils, press-molded or sculpted designs (2 Words)

3.

designed to be useful or practical

4.

clay that has been carried away from the source of origin by the action of wind and/or water (2 Words)

6.

clay that is deposited near the source of origin, that is, near the disintergrated parent rock (2 Words)

7.

unfired pottery or sculpture

11.

a decorative technique using liquid clay applied through a tube or nozzle to create linear, raised designs (2 Words)

12.

to recover dried clay or leather hard clay for reuse

13.

a material that has a high melting point

15.

relating to or used for formal events or rituals of a religious or public nature

18.

to mark or cut a lid and lid seat in a manner that enables the user to fit the lid into the correct position

22.

a decorating technique in which a layer of color is cut into to reveal the clay underneath

24.

a material applied to parts of pottery to prevent glaze from adhering so that clean up of the glaze from the foot or lid seat is easier to do (2 Words)

27.

to cut at an angle

30.

stage of clay when the physically-combined water has evaporated (2 Words)

33.

a vitreous, glass-like substance fused onto the surface of pottery to form a hard, impervious, decoratie coating

34.

ground up bits of fired clay used to temper a clay body, reduce shrinkage and cracking, and add texture or "tooth"

37.

a cardboard, wood, or metal pattern used to cut shapes or form clay to a given and repeatable size

40.

to cut a design or decorative mark into the clay

42.

a small, rounded mass or sculpted form added to the surface of a lid to facilitate lifting

44.

a thin solution of water and a metallic oxide, such as iron oxide

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